The 5th Wife - by Maria Love [A Negan fanfic]

Chapter 21

I can't believe I actually did it, the thrill of it completely overpowered me and urged me to continue on my spontaneous escape.
The leaves crunched under my feet as I ventured further and further into the trees, I missed this. The idea of being self dependant made feel indestructible, I breathed in the forest fragrance letting it take me at every stride.

The sun continued to set and so I only had little light left to work with, thirty minutes at most. The golden luminescence hit the brown leaves which relaxed me, I found it strange that this area of the forest wasn't crawling with the dead- but I figured it was because this was a rather isolated area.

I began descending down a steep area of the woodland, I noticed on my way down there was a reservoir at the bottom of the hill at a far distance. After eventually making it down with minimal damage, I brushed off the few bits of leaves and dirt that caught on my knees.
Using the navigation skills I had developed back when I was a on my own I assumed that this lake lead to maybe a small district close by- therefore giving me a place to crash for the night.

I walked to the margin of the small swamp, it wasn't running water so it was in no way good to drink. Only God knows how many of the dead have tripped and fallen into the water thus contaminating it, I picked up a small rock and threw it in. Without warning my predicament was right, seconds after I threw that rock in a rotting arm came out of the water and grabbed my left ankle. Causing me to fall straight on to the damp soil and moss, I screamed in terror as a decomposing body raised form the green water and threw itself at my direction. My adrenaline compelled me to kick it in the face, I kicked it so hard it's body tore away from its arm - leaving it falling back into the water.
The noise had lured others to limp towards me, I saw two corpses come from the trees next to me and another three from behind. I thrusted my leg sending the arm flying into the water, got my self to my feet and ran.
The adrenaline pumping through my body gave me an impressive speed, I could easily outrun these things if I kept going.
It was starting to get very dark now, and I was finding it hard to avoid branches and rocks on the ground that would prevent my flee- or at least make it harder.
I continued running for a while and I started to get breathless.
The sound of me running had attracted more of the dead, and these mother fuckers were quick. And with my body becoming tired and weak it was getting harder to outrun them.

I continued running for another half a mile, and by now it was pitch black. The further I got the easier I was able to hide from them.

I bolted behind a tree when I got far enough, I heard some growls and gurgling from a distance. The tree trunk was wide, so partnered with the darkness if I kept quiet enough they'd walk right past me. They wouldn't have the sense to know that I was hiding, and so I gave the idea a shot.

I held my breath in attempt to keep as quiet as possible, I could hear the leaves crunching - they were getting closer. My heart was racing, but I made sure to keep as silent as humanly possible.

I furrowed my brows in confusion when I could no longer hear them, there's no way they would have turned a different direction. I slowly peaked my head around the large tree, and sure enough there was nothing there. It was too dark to see whether they had fallen and were on the ground, but I would still have heard them growling.
I squinted my eyes in attempt to see better in the blackness, but there was nothing. Not a sound not rustle, it was deathly silent.

I felt my heart stop when a large hand grabbed my shoulder, I was about to scream when another hand covered my mouth muffling and preventing any noises that would come out. Without thinking I closed my eyes and swung my arms in all directions going in final attempt to escape.

"Be quiet" a coarse voice whispered harshly.

I opened my eyes and looked up to see Negan with two of his men armed behind him on alert. They must have killed those remaining walkers, while I was hiding.

"Negan??"

"What are you doing out here??" I asked.

"Me ?? What the fuck are you doing out here ?? You want to tell me what in gods fucking name we're thinking??. Would you be so fucking kind and explain to me why you're out here ?!" he whispered angrily. The veins in his neck began protruding, he wasn't happy at all.
I looked at him and opened my mouth as I was about to speak, until he cut across.

"Actually, you know what ! I'm not standing in the middle of the fucking forest in the dark waiting for your excuse, we're going back now" he said grabbing my arm roughly and dragged me along with him.

And I knew that I had fucked up.